Aging, Reentry, and Health Coverage: Barriers to Medicare and Medicaid for Older Reentrants

Linkage to health coverage upon release from prison or jail is a critical aspect of the reentry process that may promote greater personal stability and productivity, as well as better care coordination in the community health care system and subsequent reductions in state expenditures. This paper examines operational and legal or regulatory barriers to enrollment in Medicare and Medicaid among elderly reentrants, and discusses promising correctional and community-based strategies for enrolling them in health coverage. The paper also identifies key gaps in current understanding and outlines an analytic plan to help address these gaps and inform future policy directions.